“… That thing’s too huge and dangerous,” Kuruni said.
“Right…?” I said.
Kuruni was surprised as she also noticed the herd of saber boars.
Isn’t that about twice as big as a normal one? I didn’t expect such a thing to pop up here. I feel like it could have become the alpha, too. A normal size saber boar is unlikely to win against that big boss.
“It’s dangerous. Shall we kill it?” Henblitz said with a cold, serious tone.
“Hmm…” I mumbled.
It seems that Henblitz felt enough of the danger.
There are about 10 saber boas around the boss. If you go with 4 people, I don’t think it’s a number where we can’t kill them all. However, if you take on that number of boars at the same time, the danger here will be quite high.
Basically, humans are not made to be able to do 1v2 fights. It’s an insanely simple story, people lose if attacked from the front and back at the same time. This is the reason why wars end up as battles of numbers.
But in reality, martial arts masters seem to be doing 1vMany. The mechanics of that is also simple because the attacking side has not perfected their cooperation.
If there is a consistent error of a few tenths of a second, the defending side will have 1v1 matches up within those few tenths of a second, which means that they can see the chance of victory. That’s why Adel and Edel couldn’t beat Henblitz 2v1.
Previously, I described Henblitz as superior to 100 ordinary soldiers, but that is the difference in the total strength of all their battle skills. Regardless of whether it’s physically possible or not, if 100 adult men attacked at the same time, no one, not even Henblitz, would be able to win. 1
But on the other hand, it’s an idealistic theory, or rather, it’s a theory that if there is a certain amount of difference in ability between each other, and if the environment is favorable.
From the battlefield view, it’s quite difficult to fight multiple wild monsters in such an unstable, irregular environment. Of course, I have a feeling that the elite of the Knights and the Adventurer’s Guild can’t lose in a place like this, but that still counts. There is little need to take risks based on wishful thinking.
“No, let’s not do it today. Just knowing their location is enough,” I said.
“Is that so……?” Henblitz said.
Tactically, it doesn’t matter. There’s me, Henblitz, Landrid, and Kuruni. It’s a delicate place to be annihilated, but I don’t think this side will be routed if we fight head-on.
“Huh, we’re not going to take them on?” Kuruni asked.
“If there is a guarantee that we can kill them all, we would take them on now,” I said. “But, we don’t have that. It wouldn’t be safe if even one of them escaped and charged the village.”
Yes, if I have evidence that we can defeat everything here, we will do it now. It’s not the wrong decision at all. However, our goal is not to defeat as many saber boars as possible, but ultimately to eliminate the danger to the village.
First, I’ve never fought a saber boar of that size. It would be the same for everyone else. I don’t know how many attacks it will take to stop it. In the unlikely event that it escapes with injuries, and it rushes towards Bidden Village, it will be a disastrous sight that I can’t even imagine.
And right now, Biden Village doesn’t have a sufficient interception force.
That’s not to say they’re defenseless in peacetime, but even so, they don’t have the strength to calmly deal with a saber boar that suddenly rushes in. There would be no problem if there were a large number of royal guards and knights supporting them, but that’s not the case.
Kuruni is probably the fastest of us. But even so, it would be difficult if I asked if she could catch up with a saber boar putting all its energy into fleeing.
""
There are advantages to finishing here. Yes, but it doesn’t outweigh the risks. I couldn’t deny the possibility that harm would spread to the village, rather than to ourselves.
“Hmm, you’ve got a point…” Kuruni said.
“This is not a normal request, and if we could just take them down and be done with it, I’d have done it, too,” Landrid said.
If this was a request from the Adventurer’s Guild, he’d probably end up defeating them with all his might. But this time things are different.
“In the first place, it’s the worst if you attack them here then the other herds come running in,” I said.
“I see, there was that, too,” Kuruni said.
Putting everything else aside, it’s hard to imagine that there is only one herd of saber boars. We know for certain that this stupidly large boss is in charge of this group, but there might be other herds as well. In addition, there is no guarantee that the 10 or so that are here now are all of the herd.
Considering everything, I think it’s a little premature to face them right away.
“Let’s check the surrounding terrain so that we don’t enter their awareness,” I said.
“Understood,” Landrid said.
For the time being, I knew that this was one of the nesting grounds that should be destroyed. In the future, we will prioritize exploring this area first. It wouldn’t be odd to stumble into more when we try to exterminate them, so we should have a firm grasp of the local situation.
As far as I can see, that boss should be making a lot of noise. Even if a few people were moving around, it would be hard to come up with the idea of changing nesting grounds immediately. However, it would be a problem if the saber boar noticed us and shook us off, so I needed to carefully grasp the geography.
While the four of us spread out a little, we approached little by little and explored the area. This time, the opponent’s location is fixed, so I mainly think about how to enter here and how to fight.
It’s necessary to assume that the herd will remain this size, but basically, it will be in the form of encircling it with members who can fight. If we take that system, it will be a distance that makes it difficult for us to support each other, but if we stick close, we suffer the greatly increased risk of saber boars escaping us.
“Over there… is it impossible to move quickly?” I asked.
One side of the flattened and pounded ground had a somewhat steep angle as if to counter the downward-sloping portions.
It’s not that I can’t climb it, and it’s not that I can’t move on top of it, but if you ask me if I can hurry up and over it in the heat of battle, it’s a bit much. It’s also possible that you’ll be charged from behind while climbing and end up with a hole gored in your back.
On the other hand, it’s difficult to see the saber boars jumping over it just like that, too, so basically it looks like it’s a good position to corner them when we strike.
“Hmm……?”
As I was exploring the surroundings while thinking about the future strategy, the sky suddenly began to cloud over. The source of the scorching heat that had been emitting steaming hot heat rays just now was about to be completely blocked out by thick clouds moving to the west.
“I thought it would last for at least one day today…” I said.
We still have some time until it rains, but even so, this cloudiness is a bit dangerous. There is also the possibility that it will begin to fall at once.
According to my mother’s forecast, it would be stable for the rest of the day, so the danger would be low, but well, it’s not an absolute possibility, and it would be impossible to predict even a detailed time period.
“Master, the sky is suddenly suspect,” Landrid said.
“Yeah, I’ve noticed it just now, too,” I said.
The former adventurer is the first to notice. He approaches me quietly but swiftly so as to not alert the saber boars.
At our dojo, we teach how to move to close the gap by eliminating sounds and signs of your presence, but the foundation of swordsmanship is basically on a flat and well-built dojo, or flat ground outside. We don’t train people on unstable footing.
From that point of view, the way Landrid walks is based on our swordsmanship, and it has skillful adaptations for adventurer work.
Alexia is exceptionally good at this kind of technique, but if it’s possible to duke it out on rough roads, Landrid might be the winner. It was such an amazing movement.
“Let’s both join up and retreat here. It’s dangerous if it starts to pour,” I said.
“Indeed,” Landrid said. “And we don’t have tools to withstand the wind and rain.”
Landrid is well aware of the dangers of being caught in sudden inclement weather. Of course, I wouldn’t go so far as to say that Henblitz and Kuruni are taking this too lightly, but I also think that adventurers who have more opportunities for actual battles have accumulated more experience in this respect.
If I wanted to, the saber boar’s senses would have dulled from the rain, so I could have risked staying out longer. 2 But right now, I’m not wearing any gear for rain. The situation is a little too dangerous to continue.
Hunting monsters is one of the jobs of the Knights, but basically, there is a much higher ratio of escort work for high-ranking officials and expeditionary marches for maintaining public order.
At best, they are disciplined and authoritative, and at worst, they are not used to messy fights. That area is the domain of adventurers and mercenaries. The right person in the right place is enough, but in that sense, it’s a stroke of luck that Landrid will participate in this subjugation.
“Sir Beryl,” Henblitz said. “I feel the weather is turning for the worst.”
“Master!” Kuruni yelled next. “It’s getting dark!”
It seemed the two noticed it, too, and began to join me and Landrid.
Hmm, both are excellent. Although there are some differences in their understanding of the situation, I think it’s the right decision for both of them to choose to regroup than continue exploring their surroundings.
“We’ve just noticed that,” I said. “There’s a possibility that it will start raining, so let’s get down from the mountain sooner than later.”
“Understood.”
With no objections, our decision was set.
If it’s a plain around us, even if it suddenly rains, it might be a little unreasonable, but unfortunately, we’re in the mountains. The already dangerous paths will become even more so, so it’s best to withdraw early from here. I definitely don’t want to walk on slopes muddy and slippery with rain.
“And, done,” Landrid said, conspicuously marking trees and rocks with a knife as we retreated.
“Mr. Landrid, what are you doing?” Kuruni asked, confused.
“It’s like a landmark. If it stands out too much, the territorial creatures will be wary, so it’s small enough that only we can see it,” Landrid said.
“Oh, I see now,” Kuruni said.
His method is also effective in dense forests and intricate cave systems. The scenery itself does not change dramatically, so you scratched markings to the extent that the user can see it and used it as a guidepost.
This time, one of the saber boars’ nesting grounds has been confirmed, so our purpose is to come back here without delay. Well, to put it bluntly, it’s disaster prevention. Losing your sense of location in the mountains is the worst.
After the sun goes down, it becomes almost meaningless. In any case, we won’t enter the Aphrata Mountains after the sun goes down, so we don’t have to worry too much about that area.
Well, this is also the difference between a knight and an adventurer.
In terms of pure combat ability, it’s difficult to say who will win, Henblitz or Landrid, but in terms of wilderness survival, Landrid is probably the winner.
Unless you put yourself in that kind of environment for a long time, you won’t be able to get used to it. And it is also a world where those who do not acquire it, die. However, those who control such a harsh environment gain wealth and fame as first-class adventurers, so they’re worth more than just their survival skills. It doesn’t really matter to me, though.
“Awah, it’s getting darker and darker,” Kuruni whined.
“Mm, let’s hurry up a bit,” I said.
The clouds moving from the west cover the sun and appear to be getting thicker.
It seems better to hurry. At least I want to reach the foot of the mountain before it starts to rain. It’s not pitch black, so we don’t get lost, no one wants to go down the mountain in the rain.
“Hurry up, hurry up,” Landrid said.
“Hiii!” Kuruni squeals as she’s pushed from behind.
Of course, it’s important to be vigilant about your surroundings, but the most important thing right now is time. With how we are now, even in the worst-case scenario, most opponents can be defeated. Rather than that, it’s even worse if you move too carefully and get caught in the rain before you go down the mountain.
“DobueEEH!?” Kuruni squealed.
“Kuruni!?” I yelled.
As we were rushing down the mountain with Landrid behind, Henblitz, Kuruni, then me in front, Kuruni suddenly disappeared from sight. To be more precise, her foot caught the unstable ground and she fell straight down.
Woah, that hurts. She plunged face-first into the ground with all her weight. Moreover, it wasn’t a flat surface, but downhill, so there was a lot of momentum, and Kuruni’s body was sliding even further down.
“Ow-wwww! This really hurts!” Kuruni yelled, tears in her eyes.
“Ar-Are you alright?!” I yelled.
I was relieved she had no visible wounds on her face. I wonder if she blocked it with her arm on the spur of the moment, it was a good reaction.
Things like this happen in the mountains, so you have to be vigilant. Running on normal level ground, you don’t often fall, but on a mountain, it can easily happen. Moreover, this time it’s still better because I knew the road to some extent and where she fell. It would have been for the worst if you fell off a cliff… then, you’re thrown headlong, straight down.
“Kuruni, are you okay?” Henblitz yelled, looking around to see what was going on.
“I just screwed up a bit! Ahh, damn it!” Kuruni yelled.
“Then you’re fine. Be careful,” Henblitz said, satisfied and returning his gaze to the front.
“Yes!” Kuruni said.
Normally, it would be a more worrying scene, but as expected, they’re Knights of Rebelio. Minor scrapes and cuts must be a daily occurrence. Even if you break a bone, and you’re afraid to move, you’ll be told to move. And maybe Kuruni moves with just will. That’s what it is.
But it was still good that it was before it started to rain. A muddy slope will make it even more slippery, and there is a good chance of serious injury from the momentum. No matter how careful you are, accidents do happen, so you want to hurry while the possibility is as low as possible.
“I’m sorry, but we can’t slow down,” I said. “It’s more dangerous to stay in the mountains and get hit by the rain.”
“I know! No problem!” Kuruni replied.
It wasn’t Henblitz giving the order, but it’s fine. Let’s hurry down the mountain. I hope it doesn’t start to rain.
Did the heavens see through my modest wish?
It was just after we arrived at the foot of the Aphrata Mountains that we began to hear the sparse sound of rain falling mixed with the sound of it hitting the dirt.
By the way, Kuruni was delighted that the dirt could be removed without bathing, and immediately after that, the wound stung as we cleaned it. I understand what she means. Water hurts fresh wounds. But we have to remove the dirt, so she’ll have to bear with it.
